Human Disease Developments
A 3-year-old Vietnamese boy died of H5N1 avian influenza. The boy fell ill after eating a duck that his family had slaughtered at their home.
Egyptian health officials confirmed the presence of H5N1 in a 38-year-old woman hospitalized due to complications related to H5N1 infection.
Animal Disease Development
Scientists who analyzed 67 H5N1 viruses from across Africa reported that the viruses fall into three distinct sublineages, or families, and that some have mutations that make them resistant to antiviral drugs. The scientists also found that some of the African viruses have genetic markers that are more characteristic of human flu viruses rather than avian strains.
International Preparedness
Indonesia government will provide 200 billion rupiah for avian influenza research at the Biosafety level 3 (BSL3) facilities of Airlangga University.
According to a recent report by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Cabinet Office, the business sector in the United Kingdom has improved little in the past decade in its preparedness for disasters and disruptions, including those caused by epidemics. The report, based on a survey of 1,012 senior executives, says that 52% of organizations have a business continuity plan, up from 47% in 2008, but overall preparedness is "near-stagnant. The two top concerns facing organizations were electronic attacks and human disease, such as pandemic influenza, cited by 58% and 57%, respectively. The full report can be downloaded by clicking here.
An international trade group for the insurance and financial industries issued a report urging its members to consider the future impact of an influenza pandemic, which could, prompt a range of issues from liability issues related to event cancellations to civil unrest. The report, from the London-based Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), also urged companies to draw up their own pandemic plans, which should include gauging the impact of reduced service levels, ensuring staff safety, and providing cross-training and telecommuting opportunities. The full report can be downloaded here.
A nongovernmental organization has launched an intensive program to prevent H5N1 in Nigeria. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is aiming its behavioral-change messages at migrant poultry workers, traders, and transporters in states that have been hit by the virus, which include Anambra, Borno, Kano, and Lagos.
Domestic Preparedness
In a move to protect cargo trucking crews—a critical part of the nation's infrastructure—during an influenza pandemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued interim guidance on limiting exposure to a pandemic virus. The guidance primarily contains standard infection control practices, but touches on cargo work specifics such as avoiding face-to-face contacts during pick-ups and deliveries and encouraging employees to instead use text messaging and cell phones to communicate. The document also includes recommendations on disinfecting truck cabs and trailers. The guideline can be downloaded by clicking here.
Treatment, Detection, and Prevention
Researchers from the University of Iowa reported new low-power wireless "Zigbee" technology might be an inexpensive and useful tool for encouraging hand hygiene in healthcare workers. Workers wear pager-sized badges that permit automated tracking of their use of hand hygiene dispenser stations before entering and after leaving patient rooms. The automated system correctly flagged more than 90% of study subjects entering and leaving rooms if they remained there for at least 30 seconds.
Numbers and Statistics for H5N1 (Confirmed by WHO since 2003):
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